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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29647356">La Caverne du Papillon D'Or</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/JuliaFC/pseuds/JuliaFC'>JuliaFC</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Miraculous Ladybug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Adrien Agreste Is Sunshine, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir Identity Reveal, Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng Fluff, Adrinette | Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Alternate Universe - Fusion, Angst, Badass Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, F/M, Fairy Tale Retellings, Fantaghirò - Freeform, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hot Mess Adrien Agreste, Idiots in Love, Ladrien | Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng as Ladybug, Ladynoir | Adrien Agreste as Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng as Ladybug, Marichat | Adrien Agreste as Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug Identity Reveal, Miraculous Ladybug Love Square, Oblivious Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Protective Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Rewrite, Slow Romance</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 21:01:50</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,740</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29647356</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/JuliaFC/pseuds/JuliaFC</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The Agreste and the Dupain Kingdoms. Two lands tore apart by a never ending war. Adrien and Marinette; Chat Noir and Ladybug. Two souls connected through a prophecy that linked their lives to the destiny of their kingdoms. So close, but also so far. Enemies? Friends? Lovers? Prince/Princess AU, rewrite of the Italian medieval fairy-tale "Fantaghirò''. Slow burn Adrinette/Ladynoir.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe, André Bourgeois/Audrey Bourgeois, Emilie Agreste &amp; Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth, Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth/Nathalie Sancoeur, Luka Couffaine/Kagami Tsurugi, Marlena Césaire/Otis Césaire, Master Fu/Marianne Lenoir, Sabine Cheng/Tom Dupain</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>February 2021 - Rewrite a classic, January 2021 - Exchange</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Prologue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/fictionalinfinity/gifts">fictionalinfinity</a>.</li>



    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Betas: </b>
  <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Khanofallorcs">
    <b>Khanofallorcs</b>
  </a>
  <b>, </b>
  <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/AgresteBug">
    <b>Agrestebug</b>
  </a>
  <b>, </b>
  <a href="https://www.fanfiction.net/u/3180546/Etoile-Lead-Sama">
    <b>Etoile-Lead-Sama</b>
  </a>
  <b>, </b>
  <a href="https://www.fanfiction.net/u/12984080/Speckleflower">
    <b>Speckleflower </b>
  </a>
  <b>and </b>
  <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Genxha">
    <b>Genxha</b>
  </a>
  <b>. Thank you all so much!</b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by (c) Thomas Astruc, TS1 Bouygues, Disney Channel, Zagtoon, Toei Animation. </b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>The Cave of the Golden Rose (Fantaghirò in Italy) is (c) 1991-1996 Lamberto Bava, Andrea Piazzesi, Anfri SRL, Reteitalia.</b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.</b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>Introduction:</b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>This is an AU FanFiction (alternate universe). The story is a rewrite in Miraculous terms of the TV serial “Fantaghirò” (The Cave of the Golden Rose in English). The show was inspired by a traditional Italian fairy tale “Fantaghirò, beautiful person”. I have adapted the story, characters and situations to Miraculous, and by doing so I had to change many details, although keeping the feeling of the story, and if Miraculous and its characters, as IC as I could.</b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>This fanfiction is written as part of the January-February Fanfiction Exchange of the Miraculous Fanworks server (and also for the February “Rewrite a Classic”). I got Fictionalinfinity, who asked for:</b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>“I've been really craving some Medieval!Adrinette (arranged marriage, maybe?) with angsty ladynoir shenanigans but if that isn't your thing, I enjoy slow burn love square fluff. Feel free to include characters as needed. No Lila please.”</em>
  </b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>So there it is, Maddy, hope you like it!</b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>oOoOoOoOoOo</b>
</p><h4>
  <b>
    <em>Prologue </em>
  </b>
</h4>
<p>
  <span>Once upon a time, so many many years ago, there was a war between two kingdoms. A very unusual war that went on for forever and ever. In fact, no one could truly say when it had started or, what was worse, </span>
  <em>
    <span>why </span>
  </em>
  <span>it had started. After centuries of warring, the word “peace” withdrew from the lips and minds of the fighting factions, its meaning had been squelched and overcome by battle cries and the clashing of steel. Not even a whisper of peace survived. Warfare was the only way of life, so either you bombed your enemy or he would bomb you. Until that fateful day (or rather, night) when everything would change and the fate of the two kingdoms would be rewritten.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That night, the old Chinese man sat crossed legged in his hut in the middle of the Dupain forest, sipping quietly at his tea. He was facing the fireplace, his gaze lost in the ever-changing dance of the flames in front of him. A little green creature that looked like a turtle floated in the air next to him and eyed with concern a big sparkle of light that had appeared just behind the man. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Master, I believe we have visitors,” whispered the little creature.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Thank you, Wayzz, I know. I have felt the surge of energy emanating from her.” Then he turned around, right in the direction of the light and smiled at the young woman who had just appeared in his hut. She wore a weird skin-tight body wrapping outfit, pale blue with white accents. She had short, wild red hair and a white and baby blue mask covered half of her face. On her head, she had two white rabbit ears.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Good evening, Master Fu. Or should I call you White Guardian?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He chuckled and sipped his tea again. “Good evening, Bunnyx, what brings you here tonight?” He picked up another cup from the little table next to him and poured some tea in it. He put it on the floor and patted gently the space next to it. “Here, sit down and have some tea.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bunnyx looked at him pointedly, but sat down as she was told, picked up the cup and started blowing on the hot liquid inside, taking a couple of tentative sips. “I suppose it won’t hurt having a cuppa as we speak.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They stayed silent for a very long time, both savouring the warm tea and the quiet of the hut only broken by the crackling sound of the burning fire. “So what did you want to discuss with me? You never show yourself, so it must be important.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Very.” She zipped something at the side of her suit and took a weird round object out of what must have been a pocket. She swiped on it and a strong ray of light emanated from it, so strong that Fu had to cover his eyes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I had forgotten how strong was the light emanating from your Miraculous,” he said.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bunnyx smiled at him. “I don’t particularly want to bring you inside the Burrow, Master. Even if you’re the Guardian, you shouldn’t be allowed to see everything about the future.” Fu nodded and Bunnyx’s smile widened. “So I will show you here. I’ve loaded what I want you to see in the watch.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As she said that, the red-haired woman moved her hand on the circle of light, revealing a three dimensional picture that moved as if it were a real scene unfolding in front of them. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>It was showing a beautiful girl dressed in a red and black polka dotted skin-tight suit, very similar to the one that Bunnyx was wearing. Her dark hair was combed in pigtails and her face was covered with a mask, but her facial traits looked familiar to Fu’s and he understood that the girl must have Chinese blood. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>She was pointing a bow and  arrow in front of her, and the figure of a white haired, pale skinned man in a shiny silver armour was next to her. Fu knew who the man was—it was him. Or rather, the image of him that he portrayed to people using the Miraculous of the Fox. What was he doing with this girl, and why was she wielding the Miraculous of the Ladybug, he thought.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Aim to the sky,” he heard himself say. The girl did as she was told, raised her bow to the sky and stretched the bow as much as she could. “Now!” whispered the image of Fu in the picture, and the girl let the arrow go. Fu observed as the arrow went higher and higher, and then started its descending curve. He watched as a young man riding a horse approached the zipping arrow and was nearly hit by it, as the arrow passed mere millimetres from his face and ended firmly into a tree just beside him. He watched as the horse the young man was riding got spooked and panicked, raising its front legs up in a scared gesture and unseating its rider, right at the side of a dangerous looking slope. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Watch out!” called the voice of the girl wearing the Ladybug suit, and as she did that, Fu heard the zip of a yoyo cord, and next thing he could see, the young man and the girl were solidly wrapped in the yoyo cord, hanging down from a tree. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Fu looked very carefully at the young man tangled with the Ladybug girl and suddenly, he gasped and moved his hand to stop the picture. Bunnyx prevented him and pushed on the picture, stopping it on the spot. Then, she gave him a devious look and forked her fingers open, causing the image to become bigger. And bigger. And bigger. Until it had zoomed on the young man’s right hand, and on the silver ring on his ring finger.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s—” he said in a choked whisper.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Aha,” said Bunnyx, smiling again. “I thought you may have been interested in this detail.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bunnyx tapped on the picture again and it resumed its previous size. Then, she tapped again to make it move once more. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>As soon as the picture moved again, the Ladybug girl released her yoyo and the two prisoners fell on the ground. She rolled on the ground with a grace that seemed to come from years of training and ended crouched on her knee and foot. The young man didn’t seem as used to falling off from tangled up prisons hanging on trees and fell on his back. It took him a very short instant to get up, but by then, the girl was nearly gone. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Wait!” he shouted. The girl stopped and turned around, twirling her yoyo on her side. “Who are you? What—?” he continued, but the girl gave him a terrified look and with a zip of her yoyo, disappeared in the greenery.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Prince Adrien?” came a voice from behind the young man. “Prince Adrien, where are you?” The young man winced at the call and tried to hide behind a tree. He kept darting his gaze around, going from one tree to the other, and ran in the direction he had seen the girl disappear.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Where are you?” he shouted to the vegetation around him. “Please show yourself again! Please! Where are you, My Lady?”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Fu’s trained eyes could see the girl’s silhouette in the distance, hiding behind a big oak tree, looking at the prince warily, but the young man didn’t seem to have noticed. He took his sword out and started hitting the grass and the leaves of the trees around him, trying to make space and see better where he was going. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Please! I need to see you again! Please, where have you gone?” But as he hit one last branch, cutting off the vegetation on it, he suddenly jumped because the figure of a white haired man in a silver armour appeared in front of him, as if coming out of nowhere.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“I beg you to stop, my boy,” said the illusion.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Who… who are you?” asked the young man. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>The vision smiled. “I’m the spirit that protects this forest and I don’t like you cutting the branches of my trees and the grass from my ground, revealing the secrets hidden underneath.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>The young man sucked his breath in and looked at the illusion, stunned. He froze on the spot and after a few moments, he folded his sword back into its scabbard. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“I’m looking for a girl,” he said almost in a pleading tone. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Was the girl you’re looking for wearing a red and black suit and a mask on her face?” The young man nodded and the illusion smiled softly. “You need to forget about her.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“I can’t!” said the prince. “I can’t take her eyes out of my head. She’s so beautiful, I’ve never seen anyone as beautiful as her. I love her!”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>The illusion smiled softly. “I’m sorry, my Prince, but the young lady you just met is not human.” The prince gasped as the illusion continued, “She’s a nymph of the forest and she ran away because she was frightened to have been discovered by you.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Can you call her back?” asked the young man. “I just… want to see her one last time!”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>The illusion moved forward, approaching the young prince and looking at him straight in the eye. “You won’t see her again,” he said. “Go back in the human world, Prince Adrien. Look for those same eyes in the face of a human girl. When you’ll find her, you will find love.” That said, the illusion vanished in thin air.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Wait! Where are you going? Please! Please show me that girl again!” shouted the prince, but the illusion didn’t come back.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The image faded away and the old Chinese man ended up staring into the red haired woman’s blue eyes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Fu grabbed again his teapot and poured more tea into his cup, which he proceeded to blow on calmly. “Why did you show me such a scene?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Do you know who the two young people are?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Fu locked his gaze into hers. “I can make an educated guess. I know that one of the Dupain princes has married a Chinese woman. And the boy was the spitting image of the queen of the Agreste kingdom, so I assume he may be her son. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bunnyx nodded. “That’s right.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Interesting,” mused the old man, sipping on his tea. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s of utmost importance that this event I’ve shown you happens,” Bunnyx said. “The destiny of the two kingdoms, and the end of the neverending war, is linked to it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I see,” mused the old man. He picked up his chopsticks from a mat on the ground, looked behind him and snapped a little fly that flew near his head, crushing it with the two little pieces of wood in his hand and killing it instantly. “Looks like we weren’t alone in this room, Bunnyx.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh,” whispered the young woman. “That’s how Lady Marianne found out, then.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Is she the reason that you’ve come here to show me this?” Bunnyx nodded at the Chinese man’s question. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bunnyx showed Fu another moving picture and then looked at him wearingly. “I know you’re itching to get your Miraculouses back,  but it’s really important that they stay there. And it’s also important that the right prophecy is given to both kings. The boy and the girl can’t die. They must live and meet.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Fu put a hand to his chin and touched thoughtfully the grey locks of hair that adorned it. “Thank you for letting me know, dear. I will intervene.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Thank you, Master Fu.” The red haired woman stood up and swiped her hand in a circle, opening yet another hole in the air that shone bright. “I’m counting on it!” As she said that, she plunged herself inside the hole and disappeared.</span>
</p><hr/>
<hr/>
<p>
  <b>Author’s Note</b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>Hello again. Sorry if I’m so late, it’s been really hard to write this story while also having all the other bunnies that I have published in the last two months AND having to homeschool my kids from the beginning of January. I still don’t have a lot of material, so I won’t be able to update weekly (maybe twice a month?), but it was getting close to the deadline so I had to post. </b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>I hope you will like this idea. It’s my first real Miraculous AU so I’m quite nervous about it to be honest (I would REALLY appreciate feedback on it!), but Maddy’s prompt was too juicy to not act upon. Hope you’ll like it, Maddy!</b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>In the next instalment, “The Boy of the Prophecy”,</b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>— “I'm Lady Marianne, the Dark Witch. I'm here to present you and your wife with gifts and a prophecy.”</b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>— “Good evening. I’m Nooroo and I’m the kwami of Transmission.”</b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>— “Let’s go home, Wayzz. Our job here is done.”</b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>Last but not least, if you read this and you’re not part of our wonderful Discord server already, but you enjoy reading, writing and talking about Miraculous, please join our Discord server, </b>
  <a href="https://discord.gg/mlfanworks">
    <b>Miraculous Fanworks</b>
  </a>
  <b> (for people on FFN, discord dot gg slash mlfanworks). See you there soon, and see you next week here with chapter 1!</b>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. The Boy of the Prophecy: Adrien</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em> ~~~Two months later, Agreste Castle~~~ </em>
</p><p>King Gabriel sat on his marble throne, his head resting on the heel of his hand, with his elbow pinned to his thigh. He listened to the wind gushing outside the castle of the Agreste kingdom, and to the regular sound of the rain slapping against its walls. A couple of lightnings flashed in the darkness of the room, cracking with their sudden flash of light the blackness of the stormy sky. Gabriel stood from his throne and walked to the stained glass windows, cracking one open so he could look outside. </p><p>It was ironic, really. As the low howl of thunder resounded in the vastness of the hall, making walls and windows shake like a wild beast's roar; he welcomed the sensation of the wind slapping his skin, and the cold rain spitting on his nose and cheeks.  Ironic… that on such a horrible, dark and ghastly night, his Sunshine wife Emilie was going to give birth. Emilie was the complete opposite of such a spectral storm, but Gabriel couldn’t help the heaviness in his heart as he heard the pain-filled screams of the labouring queen alternating eerily with the frightening sound of the gusts of wind echoing from outside. A spectral atmosphere surrounded all the countryside with its sad and misfortunate gleam. Even the places that were so lovely to visit during normal days now appeared scary.</p><p>Gabriel looked at the trees, firmly bent from the strength of the wind. Every slap to the vegetation seemed to be blood-curdling, followed by yet another skin crawling scream. It looked as if labour was going to continue all night. Gabriel thought with anxiety of his slim and weak wife: he doubted that she would survive this.</p><p>Too many times she found she had gotten pregnant in the years they had been married. Every time the baby never arrived to see the birth; normally she could only carry it for a few months. This time, however, she seemed to have been lucky and had glowed throughout her pregnancy, her beaming smile lighting the court every day that came and went, making her baby stronger and making her get closer to today, when her water broke, just slightly ahead of time. </p><p>She had spent many days looking up the names of their ancestors, trying to find the best name for her Sunshine boy. Yes, because she was almost certain she was going to give birth to a boy. Gabriel didn’t mind—he would have loved anything that would come out of her. But it seemed to be important to her, so he hoped that she had been right. Having an heir would have been useful, after all, to keep the war going.</p><p>Eventually, Emilie had settled for the name Adrien. It was a name that hadn’t been very common in his ancestors. In fact, he could think of only one other Agreste being called Adrien, but he had approved the name begrudgingly when he had seen the pleading look in Emilie’s grass green eyes. If she liked the name so much, so would he. After all, it meant ‘rich’, and rich his heir was indeed going to be. Although his heart couldn't help worrying at the second meaning of the name. ‘Dark one’ (1). Especially after that very afternoon.</p><p>Gabriel’s mind wandered back to the moment that had changed his mood, only a few hours before. </p><p>
  <em> Emilie was crocheting an elaborate ‘A’ on a white little onesie, sitting on her comfy chair near him, her gleaming smile contrasting beautifully with the cloud-induced darkness of the marble Hall. He was scrutinising the strategy for the next attack to the Dupain kingdom submitted by General d’Argencourt, his gaze darting often between the papers he was lazily scanning and the gorgeous face of his beautiful wife. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Suddenly, the door to the marble hall sprang open, as gusts of freezing wind sweeped inside. An elder woman dressed in a heavy dark blue cape appeared, the first lightning of the upcoming storm flashing at her entrance and making her long, dark shadow stand out on the floor. A shadow that ghastly pointed at the Queen sitting next to him. He felt shivers running down his spine. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “Who are you?” Gabriel boomed. “How dare you appear in front of us without an appointment?” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> The woman smirked evilly as she strode towards the throne, her gaze stopping on him briefly to then lock on the now shocked gaze of his wife. Her skin had a sinister indigo tone to it, which gave king Gabriel the creeps. She wore on her head a hat in the shape of a peacock feather and in her hands she held an elegant fan of a similar shape. She wore a long indigo dress that reached past her feet. At the end of the long trail that she dragged behind her, were more decorations shaped like the distinctive pattern on peacock’s feathers.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “I don't need appointments,” she stated. “I'm Lady Marianne, the Dark Witch. I'm here to present you and your wife with gifts and a prophecy. You don’t want to threaten me, King Gabriel.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Gabriel internally froze at the name.  He had indeed heard about the Dark Witch and the White Guardian, but he had always thought them to be a fairytale to scare children. He would never have expected the Dark Witch to appear in front of him, let alone to offer him gifts.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “The Dark Witch?” he whispered and gasped when the woman’s smirk widened at his words.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “Yes, Your Majesty. I’m here to congratulate you and your wife for the imminent birth of your heir,” she said. Gabriel’s heart came to a halt—this was bad omen. Emilie’s hand was as cold as ice as she reached for his own and gave him a look full of worry. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>  “I can feel your emotions, king Gabriel. I know that your calm is only apparent, but worry not. I really mean no harm.” She curled her lips in a smile as she locked her gaze with Emilie’s worried one. “Your son will sure be handsome, my Queen. He will be charming, well behaved, intelligent and will excel at any activity he will set his heart to. However,” the smile on the witch’s lips widened into an eerie smirk, “on the day of his eighteenth’s birthday, he will be hit in the heart by a magical weapon and die!” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “ENOUGH!” boomed Gabriel standing up from his chair as Emilie’s eyes filled with tears and the queen hid her face behind her hands to cry to her heart’s content.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Lady Marianne wasn’t bothered at all by Gabriel’s outburst. She gibed at him, mockery clearly evident in the fleering grimace on her face. She raised a hand high and Gabriel felt as if his whole body was shaken by an earthquake of emotions, leaving him breathless and unable to conceive a coherent thought.  </em>
</p><p><em> “I’m the one who does the talking, </em> sweetheart <em> ,” she retorted. She lowered her hand and Gabriel felt his body sitting down, even if his mind was telling it otherwise. What kind of magic did this woman possess? Gabriel felt his heart pound inside his throat as his eyes widened in shock. She fell silent for some time, her gaze scrutinising the king and the queen leeringly. Then, as the second flash of lightning wounded the dim atmosphere of the marble hall, immediately followed by a loud clap of thunder that caused Emily to jump, she continued, “he will also be the cause of his mother’s death.”  </em></p><p>
  <em> Gabriel glared at the witch, unable to show his discontent in any other way, and the woman gave him a haughty look. “However,” she said, “there is a gleam of hope.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “What?” asked Emilie fearfully, her hand clasping on her large abdomen, as if attempting to protect the creature inside from the words just uttered.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> The witch stepped forward, moving in very close proximity to the two reignants. She put a hand inside her pocket and extracted a black hexagonal box garnished with a complicated red decoration that reminded Gabriel of paintings he had seen depicting China.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “This is a jewel called Miraculous,” she said, looking sternly right into Gabriel’s eyes. “It’s extremely powerful and grants its holder magic that goes beyond imagination.” She opened the box and showed King Gabriel a pin that held the shape of a Butterfly.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “It looks insignificant,” said Gabriel, raising an eyebrow. But as he said that, a sparkle of light came out of the pin; it was so bright that both Gabriel and Emilie had to close their eyes. When they opened them, they saw a little purple creature floating next to the jewel.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “Good evening. I’m Nooroo and I’m the kwami of Transmission,” said the creature. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “Enough, Nooroo,” came the voice of the Dark Witch. “You will only talk when you’re addressed.” The little creature’s mouth suddenly disappeared from its face, leaving both Gabriel and Emilie wide-eyed in the shock. “The Miraculous can give you great power, King Gabriel and can help you change the course of destiny and alter the prophecy. I shall leave it with you, as a token of my loyalty.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Gabriel saw the witch move the box towards his hand, and had to fight restlessly to refrain from the temptation (magically induced for sure) of taking it from her hand. “What’s the catch?” he asked. When he saw the amused gleam in Lady Marianne’s eyes, he knew that he’d been right. It was too good to be true, there had to be a catch. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “Duusu, fall my feathers,” she muttered and in a blink of blue light and a whoosh of wind, the witch disappeared, and in her place, another box like the one that contained the Butterfly brooch appeared in front of the queen. Emilie picked it up and opened it, revealing another brooch, in the shape of the tail of a peacock. In another twirl of light, a creature similar to the one in purple appeared, indigo body, pink eyes, little antennas on the top of its head and a long peacock-like trail. The creature seemed to be wanting to talk, but she looked at the other creature and widened her eyes, keeping her mouth shut.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> The witch’s voice boomed in the marble hall, “Your son is destined to end the Neverending War. The only way you can save him and your Queen, King Gabriel, is by ending the war before the day of his eighteenth birthday. The Jewels can help you to do that. You end the war and bring me the Miraculous of the Cat and of the Ladybug in the possession of the White Guardian, and I will make sure that your wife and your son will be safe. Disappoint me and the destiny I forecasted will come true.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> An evil laughter started echoing around, and as the laughter died out, Gabriel turned towards his wife, to see her lay on the ground on her knees, screaming in pain. The time had come. His heir was being born. </em>
</p><p>Gabriel put a hand on the side of his fur cloak and picked up the brooch that was fastening it in place, letting the cloak fall off his shoulders. It was the Miraculous of the Butterfly, the one that the witch had given him. He moved it around his hand, scrutinising it carefully. It looked just like a normal brooch, but he had no doubts that the words of the witch were true and that this jewel held a power that was far superior to that of any other thing on Earth. He placed his hand on the side pocket of his robe, where he knew that the little purple creature that had come out of it was resting, still trying to digest the weight of the witch’s words. </p><p>There were quite a few details that jarred him in what the woman had said. She had said that his son was destined to end the war. This gave Gabriel a warm feeling inside, thinking that such a long and ruthless war was going to be ended by his lineage. The witch hadn’t said that they would be the winners, though. Yet, she had given him and his wife these jewels with infinite powers. He hadn’t had a chance to talk to the little creature, because Emilie’s labour had taken the forefront of his thoughts from the moment that the witch had left. But he found himself now wondering exactly what powers those jewels would give. He was a king, not a magician. The witch evidently hadn’t thought the situation through carefully enough. Would the jewel allow him to gain an invincible army? If that wasn't the case, the jewel was worth nothing to him!</p><p>But yet, the witch’s final words kept resounding in his head, making always more painful the knot he felt in his stomach. ‘<em> Bring me the Miraculous of the Cat and of the Ladybug in the possession of the White Guardian </em>’. The White Guardian. The man with the ultimate power. He had heard so many stories about him and thinking that the future of his family rested on tricking a wizard of such stature, really frightened Gabriel.</p><p>As he thought so, he noticed a flash of light in the distance. Initially he didn’t pay too much attention to it, but the light started getting stronger. And bigger. Gabriel watched in horror as the bright flash of light started moving, approaching the open window he was resting against. The storm seemed to have stilled all of a sudden, and even the screams of the labouring woman had stopped. The marble hall was wrapped in a silence that felt eerie, compared to how noisy it had been until a moment before. </p><p>The light passed through Gabriel’s body as if he were a ghost, and then stopped a few steps away from him. It shone brighter and brighter and changed shape, getting bigger and bigger, until a stunned Gabriel was flaked with the imposing figure of a large man. His skin was translucent, almost white in its pallor. He had what looked like a white mask with red gleaming eyes covering his face and wore a white cape with a big hood that partially covered his head, further protected by a white helmet. On his waist, he had a thick red belt adorned with white platan leaves. The puffy trousers on his legs were white with shiny white accents, and the boots he wore at his feet were also snowy white, with more shiny white accents. </p><p>Gabriel gulped. The White Guardian.</p><p>“How dare you come into my presence without an official invitation?” he said, but his tone of voice definitely wasn’t the usual commanding one. </p><p>“Good evening, King Gabriel. Quite a fine night, isn’t it?” said the wizard in an amused tone. Gabriel glanced out of the window, at the storm that had started raging again, and couldn’t help but smirk. </p><p>“Fine, indeed,” he commented. </p><p>The wizard chuckled. “Jokes aside, I’m here to warn you, sire.” </p><p><em> ‘The White Guardian must be Chinese,’ </em> Gabriel thought, because his voice had the slightest Chinese accent, although he spoke an amazingly proper French. </p><p>“If it’s about my son killing my wife and causing the end of the war, we have already been informed this afternoon.” His tone was polite, but Gabriel could see the way the other man’s body language reacted to his words, folding his arms over his chest, and knew that the wizard had understood the underlying resentment in Gabriel’s words. </p><p>The wizard smiled. It was jarring how easy it was to make out the expression on the man’s face even though his face was covered by a mask. Gabriel lost his smirk.</p><p>“That isn’t correct,” said the elder man. Or at least, Gabriel was pretty sure the wizard was much older than him, at least based on the sound of his voice. </p><p>“That witch, Lady Marianne. She came today and gave us a prophecy. And just after she left, my wife started her labour.” Gabriel was starting to get a bit tetchy. </p><p>The wizard smirked. “The Dark Witch isn’t a reliable source of information, sire. I am.”</p><p>Gabriel closed the window, as his hair was getting drenched under the beating rain, walked to his throne and sat down. He rested his elbow on his thigh and his chin on the heel of his hand. The White Guardian followed. </p><p>“Then enlighten me, almighty wizard. What’s the truth about my son? Is he not destined for great things as the witch professed?”</p><p>The wizard chuckled again. “Of course he is, your Majesty. Marianne was correct about that. Prince Adrien’s future is linked to the end of the war. She’s also correct that he will be hit on the day of his eighteenth’s birthday. And she’s correct that he will cause his mother distress.” </p><p>Gabriel’s eyes widened in shock. “So if all this is true, why are you saying that she’s lying?”</p><p>“Because your son won’t <em> die </em>on the day of his eighteenth’s birthday, or at least, he won’t die in a physical way. He will be hit pretty hard, but he will survive. That hit will be the start of the chain of events that will bring about the end of the war. Your wife won’t die either. She will fall into an enchanted sleep. The only way to wake her up will be to put an end to the war.”</p><p>Gabriel glared at the wizard. Hit pretty hard but not die? Enchanted sleep? This sounded even more unbelievable than what the witch had said. </p><p>“Are you making fun of me, old man?” hissed Gabriel, looking at the wiard sternly. </p><p>The Guardian chuckled. “Not at all, sire. I have given you the side of the story I know is true. I will leave you with a word of warning. Do not play with things that you don’t understand. There’s a reason why Lady Marianne asked you and the Queen to perform her dirty work for her. And that reason may cause your downfall. Be very careful in whose hands you place your trust.”</p><p>Gabriel’s stern look turned into a glare. “Don’t patronise me! White Guardian or not, you’re playing with fire here. I’m the ruler of this kingdom, nobody gives me orders, not even you!” He stood and stomped a foot on the ground. “GUARDS! ARREST THIS MAN!” </p><p>As if summoned from nowhere, a bunch of armed soldiers ran through the door to the marble hall and easily reached the caped white figure near the king. They tried to touch him to put him under arrest, but the wizard’s arms pushed out, as though to ward them away.</p><p>"Stay away, you fools!" he commanded and in a puff of smoke, the White Guardian disappeared into thin air.</p><p>Not far from there, hidden just behind the queen's comfy chair, a mouse-sized Chinese man observed the scene thoughtfully. He wore a grey costume with accents of orange and pink on his legs, arms and mask and a flute almost bigger than him behind his back. He watched with a gleam of amusement in his brown eyes as Gabriel vented his anger by stomping his foot on the floor and growling; however, the king’s expression immediately changed when the queen’s midwife ran inside the hall and fell on her knees in front of him. </p><p>"Your Majesty, your son was born!" she exclaimed in between heavy pants. She was holding a small bundle in her arms, wrapped in turquoise blankets, and she presented it to the king. Gabriel delicately picked up the small creature that was passed to him. The baby had a rosy face, thin dark blond hair and grey eyes, which would probably turn green. Although the shape of his head was a bit funny (Gabriel supposed it was because the baby had just been born) and he looked slightly puffed up and pudgy, the baby was very handsome already and was definitely a boy. When he opened the blankets that were wrapped around the baby to check up on him and make his birth official, Gabriel couldn’t help curl his lips in a smile and think with pride, <em> ‘My boy won’t have problems, one day, to make any woman happy’ (2). </em> </p><p>He lifted up the small bundle in the air, causing the baby to start screaming, and said in a commanding tone of voice, “Behold your new prince, subjects. His name will be <em> Adrien </em>.” </p><p>At the king’s words, everyone kneeled down respectfully as another lighting lit up the hall and a clap of thunder roared, shaking eerily walls and widows as everyone cheered, </p><p>“Hail, Prince Adrien!” </p><p>The tiny Chinese man smirked as he looked at a green creature that appeared just behind him. It looked like a mini turtle, but yet, still much bigger than him. </p><p>“Let’s go home, Wayzz. Our job here is done.”</p><p>Wayzz opened its mouth and let the tiny man climb into it before floating away.</p>
<hr/><p>
  <b>Notes:</b>
</p>
<hr/><ol>
<li><b> There are a couple of different theories around the meaning of Adrien’s name. I looked it up and it really amazed me because I’m sure after reading this that Astruc and his team must have chosen the name very wisely. </b></li>
</ol><ul>
<ul>
<li><b>So… according to Wikipedia (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adrian">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adrian</a> ), “Adrian/Adrien’s ultimate origin is most likely via the former river Adria from the Venetic and Illyrian word adur, meaning 'sea' or 'water'. But also, according to BabyNamesPedia ( <a href="https://www.babynamespedia.com/meaning/Adrian/m">https://www.babynamespedia.com/meaning/Adrian/m</a> ), “The name is derived from Hadrian, itself from Hadrianus (Latin) meaning 'man from Hadria'. Hadria is a town in northern Italy named after the Adriatic Sea. The sea was probably named for the dark-colored sand on its beaches, from the Latin 'ater' which means BLACK. And that's where the meaning of Adrien's name as “the dark one” comes from. I have found it mentioned on many name etymology websites, including SheKnows (<a href="https://www.sheknows.com/baby-names/name/adriana">https://www.sheknows.com/baby-names/name/adriana</a> ) and UK Baby Names (<a href="https://www.ukbabynames.com/boys/adrian">https://www.ukbabynames.com/boys/adrian</a> ). </b></li>
<li><strong>Also according to the website “The name meaning” (<a href="https://www.thenamemeaning.com/adrian/">https://www.thenamemeaning.com/adrian/</a> ) Adrien also has a Greek meaning of “rich”, and I like their interpretation of the Latin meaning, “Dark richness”. The website Babynology ( <a href="http://www.babynology.com/name/adrian-m.html">http://www.babynology.com/name/adrian-m.html</a> ) also says that the name has a greek/hispanic meaning of “rich” and a Latin meaning of “from hadria/hadriatic” which they express as “man from the ocean”. Now… isn’t it amazing how in just one name Astruc and his team have summarised how Adrien is rich, has Chat Noir as an alter ego (since his name means dark and black) AND has a connection with Marinette (his name can mean sea, and Marinette’s name means “of the sea”. Can’t be clearer than this)?</strong></li>
</ul>
</ul><ol>
<li>
<b> Note for readers who are non parents: I apologise in advance for the lecture, but I thought some of you who haven’t had children yet may find that paragraph a bit strange, so I would like to explain. What Gabriel says is quite common in childbirth. It doesn’t mean that Adrien is in any way *ahem* ‘gifted’. At birth, babies’ genitalia are a bit swollen due to the hormones of the mother washing out of their bodies. This causes very often parents of little boys (especially the father) to have a reaction like the one Gabriel has in this chapter. But the swelling will be gone after a couple of days and has got nothing to do with *coughs* future ‘performance’. We’re talking about a BABY here! Also, the description of his face being ‘puffy’ and his head being ‘shaped oddly’ is due to a similar reason. His head in fact isn’t shaped oddly at all, it’s due to the fact that he’s just come into the world and when you </b><b><em>‘try squeezing something the size of a watermelon out of an opening the size of a lemon’</em></b><b> (cit. ‘Look who’s talking’ (c) 1989 TriStar Pictures) you can’t expect the watermelon to come out without slight damage! Jokes aside, the bones inside a baby’s skull are soft, so that it becomes easy for the head to squeeze through the birth canal during normal delivery. Yet, there is some amount of pressure exerted on the baby’s head during delivery which could result in it becoming elongated or cone-shaped. </b><b>If you're interested in the subject, you an read more here: </b><a href="https://www.babymed.com/why-does-my-baby-have-swollen-genitals-at-birth"><b>https://www.babymed.com/why-does-my-baby-have-swollen-genitals-at-birth</b></a>, <a href="https://www.babycenter.com/health/illness-and-infection/is-it-normal-for-my-babys-genitals-to-be-so-swollen_9940"><b>https://www.babycenter.com/health/illness-and-infection/is-it-normal-for-my-babys-genitals-to-be-so-swollen_9940</b></a><b>, </b><b><a href="https://parenting.firstcry.com/articles/baby-head-shape-whats-normal-and-whats-not/">https://parenting.firstcry.com/articles/baby-head-shape-whats-normal-and-whats-not/</a></b>
</li>
</ol><ol>
<li><b>Also, as of the reason behind Marianne giving the butterfly Miraculous to Gabriel, is the fact that Agreste, which means wild, rustic, rural in French, is also the name of a species of butterflies, according to wikipedia <a href="https://fr.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agreste">https://fr.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agreste</a>  thank you so much to <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/plikki/pseuds/plikki">@Alex | Plikki</a> on the Miraculous Fanworks server for looking it up for me.</b></li>
</ol><hr/><p>
  <b>Author’s Note</b>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <b>Hello again. Sorry about the tome note above! Here’s chapter 1. Hope to get chapter 2 posted soon, as I’m delaying writing this for when the new canon will have come out and I will, definitely, run into a “new canon shock” and won’t be able to write canon stories for a while. </b>
</p><p>
  <b>In the next instalment, “The Girl of the Prophecy”,</b>
</p><p>
  <b>— “The baby girl that is about to be born will bring misfortune to this kingdom.”</b>
</p><p>
  <b>— “Good evening, my Princess. I’m Pollen, the kwami of Subjugation.”</b>
</p><p>
  <b>— “I’ll protect your baby girl and keep her safe. Rest in peace, beautiful flower.”</b>
</p><p><b>Last but not least, if you read this and you’re not part of our wonderful Discord server already, but you enjoy reading, writing and talking about Miraculous, please join our Discord server, </b> <a href="https://discord.gg/mlfanworks"> <b>Miraculous Fanworks</b> </a> <b> (for people on FFN, discord dot gg slash mlfanworks). See you soon here with chapter 2!</b></p>
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